You are here

Sponsored: Reflections From the Road: Honoring America's Farmers on Why I Farm Roadtrip

For the past six months, Natalina Sents, an Iowa native, has been living on the road sharing the stories of America’s farmers through blogs and photography on Beck’s Why I Farm Roadtrip. To date, Sents has interviewed more than 70 farmers throughout the Midwest and Northeast, and has even made the trip to Alaska.

“Farming isn’t just a nine to five job,” Sents explained. “This is what generations of families have worked for and what they hope to preserve for generations to come. They’re inviting me into their safest place in this world and are trusting me to share their most personal stories about why they do what they do, and to me that’s incredibly inspiring and challenges me to do my best.”

From large to small, multi-generation to first-generation, conventional to organic, the farmers Sents has visited have revealed the true diversity of American agriculture. Over 30 different types of agriculture have been represented, including blueberries, pumpkins, hydroponic lettuce, cranberries, pigs, beef cattle, dairy cows, alpacas, bison, mushrooms, orchards, nuts, hops, lavender, and more. With each farm Sents visits, she is finding that despite being so different, all of the farmers are farming for a similar set of reasons.

“It’s their family legacy, love of the land, how they care for the next generation, and how they make a difference in the world,” Sents added. “They’re farming for a bigger reason, and that’s really inspiring to have the greater picture in mind when you get up and do your job every day.”

By partnering with Beck’s, the largest family-owned retail seed company in the United States, Sents is on the Why I Farm Roadtrip – a year-long, 50-state tour documenting agriculture’s diversity and revealing the untold stories of America’s farmers. She will continue to travel the country until the Why I Farm Roadtrip ends in May 2017.

Since 2013, the objective of Beck’s Why I Farm Movement has been simple – honor the American farmer. What began by sharing heartfelt stories through video, the Why I Farm Movement has now reached more than 3.8 million people and gained fans and followers from across the globe.

Watch the video below to learn about Sents’ time on the road and get a glimpse of the farmers she’s meeting.